‘I Don’t Want This All on Camera’: California Dem. Flips out, Tries to Storm Off Interview with Stunned Reporter

reporter: “What do you say to the 40% of California voters, who you’ll need in order to win, who voted for Trump?”
PORTER: “How would I need them in order to win, Ma’am?”
reporter: “Well, unless you think you’re gonna get 60% of the vote. You think you’ll get 60% — everybody who did not vote for Trump will vote for you? That’s what you’re saying?”
PORTER: “In a general election? Yes. If it’s me versus a Republican, I think that I will win the people who did not vote for Trump.”
WATTS: “What if it’s you versus another Democrat?”
PORTER: “I don’t intend that to be the case.”
WATTS: “So, how do you not intend that to be the case? Are you gonna ask them not to run?”
PORTER: “No, no. I’m saying I’m gonna build the support. I have the support already in terms of name recognition, and so I am gonna do the very best I can to make sure that we get through this primary in a really strong position. But let me be clear with you. I represented Orange County. I represented a purple area. I have stood on my own two feet and won Republican votes before, and that’s not something every candidate in this race can say. If you’re from a deep-blue area, if you’re from L.A. or you’re from Oakland, you don’t have to — “
WATTS: “But you just said you don’t need those Trump voters.”
PORTER: “But you asked me if I needed them to win.”
WATTS: “So you don’t think you need them?”
PORTER: “I feel like this is unnecessarily argumentative. What is your question?”
WATTS: “The question is the same thing I asked everybody, that this is being called ‘Empowering voters to stop Trump’s power grab.’ Every other candidate has answered this question. This is not argumentative.”
PORTER: “And I said I support it.”
WATTS: “So the question is, what do you say to the 40% of the voters who voted for Trump?”
PORTER: “Oh, I’m happy to say that. It’s the ‘Do you need them to win?’ part that I don’t understand. I’m happy to answer the question as you have it written, and I’ll answer it.”
WATTS: “And we’ve also asked the other candidates, do you think you need any of those 40% of California voters to win? And you’re saying, no, you don’t?”
PORTER: “No. I’m saying I’m gonna try to win every vote I can. And what I’m saying to you is that — (Sighs)”
WATTS: “Well, to those voters, okay, so you — “
PORTER: “I don’t want to keep doing this. I’m gonna call it. Thank you.”
WATTS: “You’re not gonna do the interview with us?”
PORTER: “Nope. Not like this I’m not. Not with seven follow-ups to every single question you ask.”
WATTS: “Every other candidate has — “
PORTER: “I don’t care. I don’t care. I want to have a pleasant, positive conversation. I wish you asked me about every issue on this list. And if every question you’re gonna make up a follow-up question, then we’re never gonna get there.”
WATTS: “Ms. Porter — “
PORTER: “And we’re just gonna circle around. I have never had to do this before. Ever.”
WATTS: “You’ve never had to have a conversation with a reporter?”
PORTER: “To end an interview.”
WATTS: “Okay. But every other candidate has done this.”
PORTER: “What part of ‘I’m me, I’m running for governor because I’m a leader?’ So I am going to make — “
WATTS: “So you’re not going to answer questions from reporters? Okay, Why Don’t We go through — I will continue to ask follow-up questions because that’s my job as a journalist, but I will go through and ask these, and if you don’t want to answer, you don’t want to answer. So nearly every legislative Dem — ”
PORTER: “I don’t want to have an unhappy experience with you and I don’t want this all on camera.”
WATTS: “I don’t want to have an unhappy experience with you either. I would love to continue to ask these questions so that we can show our viewers what every candidate feels about every one of these issues that they care about. And redistricting is a massive issue. We’re going to do an entire story just on the responses to that question. And I’ve asked everybody the same follow-up questions.”